ABC - Sports Newshttp://stillwaterradio.net
en-usFormer NFL player Jeff Rohrer on coming out and same-sex marriage: 'I followed my heart'http://stillwaterradio.net/abc-sports-news/dbaa481276b9ceb37dcc8f26d3e556b1
Wed, 21 Nov 2018 09:16:00 -0600http://stillwaterradio.net/abc-sports-news/dbaa481276b9ceb37dcc8f26d3e556b1joshuaandjeffrey/Instagram(NEW YORK) -- When retired NFL player Jeff Rohrer tied the knot with Joshua Ross over the weekend, becoming the first ex-NFL player to be in a same-sex marriage, he said the decision was a relief after living in the closet for most of his life.

"I followed my heart," the 59-year-old told ABC News.

It wasn't until he divorced his wife a decade ago that he was able to truly tap into his feelings.

"I was living the life of a straight man for most of my life," he said. "My generation, it just was never part of the narrative."

Rohrer, an ex-Cowboys player, married 36-year-old Ross, the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" aesthetician, over the weekend in front of more than 100 family and friends.

"I feared the worst with my kids, I feared the worst with my family, I feared the worst with my friends, I feared the worst with my teammates," he said. "I feared the worst with past teammates and I would say 99.4 percent I was wrong."

Ross and Rohrer said they've heard from other athletes grappling with the same issues.

"There was a young kid playing, I don't think it was professional baseball I think it was college baseball, and he basically sent along a message saying thank you so much and I need advice," Ross said.

]]>joshuaandjeffrey/Instagram(NEW YORK) -- When retired NFL player Jeff Rohrer tied the knot with Joshua Ross over the weekend, becoming the first ex-NFL player to be in a same-sex marriage, he said the decision was a relief after living in the closet for most of his life.

"I followed my heart," the 59-year-old told ABC News.

It wasn't until he divorced his wife a decade ago that he was able to truly tap into his feelings.

"I was living the life of a straight man for most of my life," he said. "My generation, it just was never part of the narrative."

Rohrer, an ex-Cowboys player, married 36-year-old Ross, the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" aesthetician, over the weekend in front of more than 100 family and friends.

"I feared the worst with my kids, I feared the worst with my family, I feared the worst with my friends, I feared the worst with my teammates," he said. "I feared the worst with past teammates and I would say 99.4 percent I was wrong."

Ross and Rohrer said they've heard from other athletes grappling with the same issues.

"There was a young kid playing, I don't think it was professional baseball I think it was college baseball, and he basically sent along a message saying thank you so much and I need advice," Ross said.

]]>Hockey fan's homemade sign requesting a kidney lands her a life-saving donationhttp://stillwaterradio.net/abc-sports-news/e7766cc58740039d64d5dc6e586fef79
Wed, 21 Nov 2018 08:59:00 -0600http://stillwaterradio.net/abc-sports-news/e7766cc58740039d64d5dc6e586fef79ABCNews.com(PITTSBURGH) -- One hockey fan's homemade sign ultimately saved her life after she used it to ask strangers for a kidney donation.

Kelly Sowatsky, 31, was desperately in need of a kidney. So last April she took matters into her own hands at a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game.

UFC Performance Institute Shanghai will measure more than 93,000 square feet, making it approximately three times bigger than UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, which opened in 2017.

The Shanghai facility “will serve as a training hub to develop and support MMA athletes from mainland China and the greater Asia-Pacific region,” according to the UFC.

The building will also serve as the UFC’s headquarters in Asia and be capable of allowing for the production and distribution of live events and programming.

“I could not be more excited about the UFC Performance Institute opening in Shanghai,” UFC President Dana White said in a statement. “We know there is a ton of talent throughout Asia and now we will be able to find them and offer them all the incredible training, nutrition, and physical therapy that UFC fighters are getting in the Performance Institute at our headquarters in Las Vegas, right there in China.”

“This is another game changer for the sport, UFC, and potential athletes throughout Asia,” White added.

]]>Joe Faraoni / ESPN Images(LAS VEGAS) -- The UFC announced on Tuesday it plans to open the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) training facility in Shanghai next year.

UFC Performance Institute Shanghai will measure more than 93,000 square feet, making it approximately three times bigger than UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, which opened in 2017.

The Shanghai facility “will serve as a training hub to develop and support MMA athletes from mainland China and the greater Asia-Pacific region,” according to the UFC.

The building will also serve as the UFC’s headquarters in Asia and be capable of allowing for the production and distribution of live events and programming.

“I could not be more excited about the UFC Performance Institute opening in Shanghai,” UFC President Dana White said in a statement. “We know there is a ton of talent throughout Asia and now we will be able to find them and offer them all the incredible training, nutrition, and physical therapy that UFC fighters are getting in the Performance Institute at our headquarters in Las Vegas, right there in China.”

“This is another game changer for the sport, UFC, and potential athletes throughout Asia,” White added.

]]>Yankees acquire James Paxton in trade with Marinershttp://stillwaterradio.net/abc-sports-news/ed188b8a24bd3f1fbe9e469078639653
Tue, 20 Nov 2018 07:38:00 -0600http://stillwaterradio.net/abc-sports-news/ed188b8a24bd3f1fbe9e469078639653Scott Clarke / ESPN Images(NEW YORK) -- The New York Yankees acquired ace pitcher James Paxton in a trade with the Seattle Mariners on Monday.

In exchange for Paxton, the Yankees sent three prospects to Seattle: left-handed pitcher Justus Sheffield, right-handed pitcher Erik Swanson and outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams.

Paxton, 30, has been with the Mariners since he was drafted by the team in 2010. He signed with the team a year later, and made his MLB debut in September 2013.

This past season, the left-handed pitcher went 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA in 28 starts. He finished with 208 strikeouts, marking his first 200-strikeout season.

"I couldn't be more excited," Paxton said about the trade. "It's going to be a fantastic opportunity in New York, always expecting to win, just like I do. I expect myself to win, I expect the best out of myself. I'm just looking forward to being a part of such a fantastic team."

]]>Scott Clarke / ESPN Images(NEW YORK) -- The New York Yankees acquired ace pitcher James Paxton in a trade with the Seattle Mariners on Monday.

In exchange for Paxton, the Yankees sent three prospects to Seattle: left-handed pitcher Justus Sheffield, right-handed pitcher Erik Swanson and outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams.

Paxton, 30, has been with the Mariners since he was drafted by the team in 2010. He signed with the team a year later, and made his MLB debut in September 2013.

This past season, the left-handed pitcher went 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA in 28 starts. He finished with 208 strikeouts, marking his first 200-strikeout season.

"I couldn't be more excited," Paxton said about the trade. "It's going to be a fantastic opportunity in New York, always expecting to win, just like I do. I expect myself to win, I expect the best out of myself. I'm just looking forward to being a part of such a fantastic team."

Three years ago, Senter was a high school freshman in Merrimac, Massachusetts, when he made the varsity starting lineup as a center.

"It was the most important thing for me. I just worried about hockey and I just worried about the game," said Senter, now 18. "I didn't worry about anything else."

He had dreams of playing hockey professionally but that summer, when he was 15, he was struck by a car at a crosswalk.

He spent a month in a coma and was on life support for six weeks with a traumatic brain injury and remained in the hospital for nine months.

When Senter woke up, he said, he thought his life was over, but it wasn't.

"My life was very different. ... I just had to relearn how to walk. Relearn how to talk. Relearn how to eat. Relearn how to live life again. Relearn to learn of who I was again. I did it and I pulled through. ... I just never gave up," he said.

Senter worked hard in rehabilitation for 22 months, determined to recover and to return to the ice.

Stacey Sirotta, Senter's physical therapist, said it had been "exciting" to see Senter's progress.

In March, seven months ago, he took his first shaky steps back on the ice. For Senter and his family, it was a victory. And, it didn't take him long to get back to his old form.

Sirotta said he was doing a great job mastering different aspects of skating.

"It takes a lot of hard work. It takes a lot of determination. ... He continues to get better and better," she said.

Senter also became a role model at the May Center School for Brain Injury in Brockton, Massachusetts, for other young people with serious brain injuries.

"I help them just like I was helped," Senter said. "I want my fellow students to get back to how they were before they got the brain injury."

As for skating, he said, getting back on the ice and playing hockey helped him feel like his old self, "but with the little lags."

"I feel great. I feel greater than ever to be back in this world," he said. "I feel like everything is not how I would like it to be but I'm working and I'm making progress every single day and that's what I have to say for everyone with an injury. ... You can't give up. Just keep trying."

]]>ABC News(BOSTON) -- Since he was a young boy, Gage Senter has loved hockey.

Three years ago, Senter was a high school freshman in Merrimac, Massachusetts, when he made the varsity starting lineup as a center.

"It was the most important thing for me. I just worried about hockey and I just worried about the game," said Senter, now 18. "I didn't worry about anything else."

He had dreams of playing hockey professionally but that summer, when he was 15, he was struck by a car at a crosswalk.

He spent a month in a coma and was on life support for six weeks with a traumatic brain injury and remained in the hospital for nine months.

When Senter woke up, he said, he thought his life was over, but it wasn't.

"My life was very different. ... I just had to relearn how to walk. Relearn how to talk. Relearn how to eat. Relearn how to live life again. Relearn to learn of who I was again. I did it and I pulled through. ... I just never gave up," he said.

Senter worked hard in rehabilitation for 22 months, determined to recover and to return to the ice.

Stacey Sirotta, Senter's physical therapist, said it had been "exciting" to see Senter's progress.

In March, seven months ago, he took his first shaky steps back on the ice. For Senter and his family, it was a victory. And, it didn't take him long to get back to his old form.

Sirotta said he was doing a great job mastering different aspects of skating.

"It takes a lot of hard work. It takes a lot of determination. ... He continues to get better and better," she said.

Senter also became a role model at the May Center School for Brain Injury in Brockton, Massachusetts, for other young people with serious brain injuries.

"I help them just like I was helped," Senter said. "I want my fellow students to get back to how they were before they got the brain injury."

As for skating, he said, getting back on the ice and playing hockey helped him feel like his old self, "but with the little lags."

"I feel great. I feel greater than ever to be back in this world," he said. "I feel like everything is not how I would like it to be but I'm working and I'm making progress every single day and that's what I have to say for everyone with an injury. ... You can't give up. Just keep trying."

]]>Former NFL player Jeff Rohrer marries Joshua Rosshttp://stillwaterradio.net/abc-sports-news/5223ddbf85e8dc89f80365fae441bf64
Mon, 19 Nov 2018 15:27:00 -0600http://stillwaterradio.net/abc-sports-news/5223ddbf85e8dc89f80365fae441bf64iStock/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) -- Retired NFL player Jeff Rohrer tied the knot with Joshua Ross over the weekend in Los Angeles, making the former linebacker one of the first ex-NFL players to proudly be in a same-sex marriage.

The former Cowboys star, 59, spoke to People magazine about the big day, saying, "It’s a very, very, very special love affair."

"We’re the one for each other. It’s unexpected, but it’s undeniable," he added.

Rohrer came out last week, just days before he and the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" aesthetician, 36, made the marriage official in front of more than 100 family and friends.

The two grooms wore matching tuxedos, Rohrer going with a cream bow tie, while Ross wore a black one.

The couple told People that they will stop in Paris, Barcelona and the Mediterranean for their honeymoon.

Rohrer and his ex-wife divorced 10 years ago and they co-parent two teens. The former NFL player says he lived in the closet for almost 60 years.

“I feel so honored that I’m the one he chose,” Ross said. “After all this time, for him to like take this big leap — it definitely gives me all the feels. I’m becoming a step-father to two teenage children, so that’s always very exciting. Life has changed for the better. A lot of my friends would think is that this is a lot of baggage. What I would say is that it’s a family.”

]]>iStock/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) -- Retired NFL player Jeff Rohrer tied the knot with Joshua Ross over the weekend in Los Angeles, making the former linebacker one of the first ex-NFL players to proudly be in a same-sex marriage.

The former Cowboys star, 59, spoke to People magazine about the big day, saying, "It’s a very, very, very special love affair."

"We’re the one for each other. It’s unexpected, but it’s undeniable," he added.

Rohrer came out last week, just days before he and the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" aesthetician, 36, made the marriage official in front of more than 100 family and friends.

The two grooms wore matching tuxedos, Rohrer going with a cream bow tie, while Ross wore a black one.

The couple told People that they will stop in Paris, Barcelona and the Mediterranean for their honeymoon.

Rohrer and his ex-wife divorced 10 years ago and they co-parent two teens. The former NFL player says he lived in the closet for almost 60 years.

“I feel so honored that I’m the one he chose,” Ross said. “After all this time, for him to like take this big leap — it definitely gives me all the feels. I’m becoming a step-father to two teenage children, so that’s always very exciting. Life has changed for the better. A lot of my friends would think is that this is a lot of baggage. What I would say is that it’s a family.”

Sophia Floersch, a member of the Netherlands-based Van Amersfoort Racing team, flipped her Formula 3 car at 170 mph after clipping a Japanese race car. The flip hurled the 17-year-old's car backwards, slamming it into a booth.

The crash sent five people to the hospital with serious injuries, and caused the remainder of the race to be halted for over an hour.

Floersch, remarkably still conscious after the accident, was taken to the hospital and initially diagnosed with a spinal fracture.

]]>Mai Shangmin/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images(MACAU, China) -- A teenage race driver is lucky to be alive today after a crash that stunned everyone at the Macau Grand Prix in China over the weekend.

Sophia Floersch, a member of the Netherlands-based Van Amersfoort Racing team, flipped her Formula 3 car at 170 mph after clipping a Japanese race car. The flip hurled the 17-year-old's car backwards, slamming it into a booth.

The crash sent five people to the hospital with serious injuries, and caused the remainder of the race to be halted for over an hour.

Floersch, remarkably still conscious after the accident, was taken to the hospital and initially diagnosed with a spinal fracture.

]]>LeBron James scores 51 points, gets first win in Miami since leaving Heathttp://stillwaterradio.net/abc-sports-news/56555162399ec68d77f36cb363c7a56b
Mon, 19 Nov 2018 07:42:00 -0600http://stillwaterradio.net/abc-sports-news/56555162399ec68d77f36cb363c7a56bEzra Shaw/Getty Images(MIAMI) -- LeBron James finally claimed his first win in Miami since parting ways with the Heat four years ago.

James scored 51 points Sunday night, helping the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Heat, 113-97. The win marks his first victory in Miami since leaving the Heat in 2014, and his first win there as a member of the visiting team since 2010, according to ESPN.

"[I]t's always great to be here, come back here and see a lot of familiar faces," James said after the game. "We had some not-so-good times, we had more great times. So it's always a respect factor and a love for the people of Miami, especially the people who work here. We put in a lot of time."

With his 51 points Sunday, James also became the fifth player in NBA history to score 50 or more points with three teams -- the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.

James scored 51 points Sunday night, helping the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Heat, 113-97. The win marks his first victory in Miami since leaving the Heat in 2014, and his first win there as a member of the visiting team since 2010, according to ESPN.

"[I]t's always great to be here, come back here and see a lot of familiar faces," James said after the game. "We had some not-so-good times, we had more great times. So it's always a respect factor and a love for the people of Miami, especially the people who work here. We put in a lot of time."

With his 51 points Sunday, James also became the fifth player in NBA history to score 50 or more points with three teams -- the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.